Cory Gearrin

A UCL injury, suffered late in spring training, resulted in Gearrin needing Tommy John surgery and ultimately ended his Braves career, as the team cut ties with the former fourth-round pick in Novembe...

Gearrin seemed to be cruising along at the start of the 2013 season, with a 1.80 ERA in his first 30 appearances, but the right-hander was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett after giving up eight runs in seven post-June 1 appearances. As it turned out, Gearrin was dealing with shoulder tendinitis, and he never ended up pitching for Gwinnett, or at all over the remainder of the season. There were several red flags prior to his diagnosis, as Gearrin's strikeouts were way down (6.7 K/9 from 9.0 in 2012), and his walks were way up (4.6 BB/9 from 2.3). Additionally, he'd lost more than two miles per hour off his fastball (from 90.7 to 88.2 mph), and was thus forced to rely much more on his slider. Gearrin will have to earn his spot in the Braves' bullpen again, but if healthy, the 27-year-old should be able to carve out a middle-relief role this spring.

2013

Gearrin should break camp on the major league team for the first time in 2013 after pitching parts of the last two seasons for the Braves. He made a couple of relief appearances in a brief stint in June before being called up for good on July 31. After that second callup, he did not give up a run in his first 14 appearances. He finished the year with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings pitched. His 9.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 indicate that he should have little trouble finding future success out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old had his first taste of the majors in 2011 where he had a 3.38 ERA over his first 15 appearances before giving up 10 earned runs in his next three games. Gearrin worked through the minors with little issue and should be a valuable reliever for Atlanta.

2012

Gearrin had an impressive season at Triple-A Gwinnett as he increased his strikeout rate to 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He struggled when called up to Atlanta, with a 7.85 ERA and 12 walks in 18.3 innings. However, he did manage to strikeout 25 batters in 18.3 innings. Gearrin never had great control in the minors, but he's steadily improved his walk rate. If he can reduce his free passes, he could be an impact reliever for the Braves.